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Braidwood Journal

The Reed-Custer School District aims to keep taxes nearly even as the new year approaches.

On Nov. 20, Superintendent Mark Mitchell presented the board of education with a rundown of the 2018 tax levy, the amount of cash the district hopes to capture from property taxes for operations for the next year.

“It’s probably the most important act that we do each year at the school board, to guarantee our funding for the next year,” Mitchell said.

City officials are blaming misinformation from the county level for a mistake regarding the distribution of candidate packets for those looking to run for office during the spring election cycle.

On Nov. 13, city attorney Bryan Kopman said that packets circulated by the city for candidates were supplied with the wrong deadline and the wrong election date information. But, Kopman said, the incorrect info came directly from the county.

The nation honored former members of the United States military last week, marking the annual Veterans Day holiday on Sunday, Nov. 11 and Monday, Nov. 12. But students at Reed-Custer High School marked the occasion by simply taking a day off.

Sixteen Comet juniors and seniors spent this year’s holiday visiting with veterans at the Illinois Veterans Home in Manteno.

The Reed-Custer School District has issued a response to allegations of alleged hazing among its football team players and staff. But the issue remains

This week, a Chicago-based media outlet released a story regarding alleged hazing at Reed-Custer High School last year, accusing former students of abuse and the district’s administration of failing to protect the alleged victim.

Last week, Superintendent Mark Mitchell released a statement to parents in advance of that story.

Braidwood has made strong efforts over the past several years battling the opioid epidemic, cracking down on dealers and working to connect addicts with services.

Still, Braidwood’s fire chief said there’s still a problem, and it’s one that emergency services and local partners are working to fix.

Braidwood Fire Protection District Chief Barry Eggers said that the most recent report from the station shows that for every 100 ambulance calls, five are to respond to an overdose or possible overdose.

The STEM lab has been outfitted with new 3D printers for Reed-Custer’s seventh and eighth graders. And, RCMS instructor Jeff Sukley says, the hands-on training has been cause for some big excitement among students this year.

Last spring, the school district set aside $30,000 for a new 3D printer for the lab. The package the school was able to secure, however, actually came with a total of five printers of various sizes, ready for multiple projects for students who rotate through the lab throughout the school year.

Two months after being named a recipient of some important grant dollars, the Braidwood Area Healthy Community Coalition (BAHCC) is firming up plans to bring a unique form of therapy to children and adults in the area.

In September, the BAHCC was awarded $10,000 from the Community Foundation of Will County (CFWC). The plan – to use the cash to pay for innovative art therapy.

Braidwood's mayor is fighting back against rumor and innuendo that the city is failing to grow.

Mayor Jim Vehrs said a reduction in crime and improvements at both the school district and the library have turned Braidwood into popular location for those looking to lay down some roots in Will County.

The nation remains in the grip of an opioid epidemic, as heroin and synthetic fentanyl continue to flood the market. So far in 2018, the Will County Coroner’s Office has reported 63 cases of overdose deaths related to heroin/fentanyl intoxication.

Those numbers include two confirmed deaths in Braidwood and one in Wilmington.

But Braidwood’s top cop said the city remains at the forefront, where officers are battling the crisis – and winning.